Ah draft season is almost upon us. As we all know, Free Agency and Trades are a big cog in team building, but none can live up to how important the Draft can be. This is the bridge moment for many of college, high school, and overseas players to actualize a lifelong dream of making it into the NBA. For teams this is where they can find their franchise player, a nice cornerstone, or the one missing role player that can help push their team to the next level.
With the NBA Draft now slated for November 18th, we are excited here at Basketball Society to bring you our final prospect rankings in this class. After watching countless hours of game film, our NBA Draft Writers got together again to bring you lists of the Top 10 Prospects for each position as well as some other special attributes we feel worth rattling off! The 2020 draft may not have the star power we got last year in terms of top end talent, but the depth in this class is solid thanks to a heavy mix of Freshman Phenoms, International Darlings, Second Year Studs, and Seasoned Seniors.
To start the series we will be taking a look at the Top 10 Point Guards in the 2020 NBA Draft. These lists are created for you all to get a sense of who may be on the board when your team is on the clock, but there are many different things that go into creating this list including things such as a prospect’s impact now vs long term potential, leadership, play making, etc…
That being said, I figured we would kick it off with some honorable mentions for guys who were close to cracking the Top 10, but just didn’t quite make the cut.
- Malachi Flynn – San Diego State
- Payton Pritchard – Oregon
- Devon Dotson – Kansas
- Saban Lee – Vanderbilt
- Markus Howard – Marquette
- Ashton Hagans – Kentucky
- Yam Madar – Israel
- Cassius Winston – Michigan State
- Eugene German – Northern Illinois
- Breein Tyree – Ole Miss
- Jordan Ford – St. Mary’s
10. Tre Jones – USA / Duke
Height: 6’2″ Weight: 185 lbs
Year-DOB: Sophomore – 01/08/00 – 20 years old
NCAA Stats: 16.2 PPG / 6.4 APG / 4.2 RPG / 1.8 STL / Shooting Splits .423/.361/.771
Reasons to Believe
- POA Defense
- Craft (Head fakes/Ball fakes)
- Smart Decision Maker
Causes for Concern
- Limited size
- Buying the 2020 3pt #s
- Lack of Versatility
Summary:
Jones is the top on-ball defender of this group, which paired with strong playmaking ability could make him a solid role player right away. He’s got a ways to go offensively to be a starter in this league, but he’ll have time to develop and could get there down the road with some hard work and good coaching.
9. Nico Mannion – Italy (USA) / Arizona
Height: 6’3″ Weight: 175 lbs
Year-DOB: Freshman – 03/14/01 – 19 years old
NCAA Stats: 14.0 PPG / 5.3 APG / 2.5 RPG / 1.2 STL / Shooting Splits .392/.327/.797
Reasons to Believe
- Pull-Up Jumper
- Confidence/Leadership
- Offensive and Defensive Motor
Causes for Concern
- Finishing
- Athleticism
- Defensive Quickness
Summary:
Mannion’s all-around skill and high basketball IQ make him one of the best offensive prospects in this class. He can shoot, handle, and pass the rock with the best of them but he disappeared in games too often during PAC-12 play, causing his stock to dip a little.
8. Tyrell Terry – USA / Stanford
Height: 6’3″ Weight: 160 lbs
Year-DOB: Freshman – 09/28/00 – 20 years old
NCAA Stats: 14.6 PPG / 3.2 APG / 4.5 RPG / 1.4 STL / Shooting Splits .441/.470/.891
Reasons to Believe
- Elite Shooting
- Rim Finishing
- Basketball IQ
Causes for Concern
- Defensive Potential
- Athleticism
- Size/Strength
Summary:
Tyrell Terry has begun to receive more first round attention during this break in action as we have seen his increased strength and size since the end of the season. His shooting is what will get him drafted relatively high in this draft without a doubt and he has the potential to end up easily being a top 3 point guard prospect from this draft.
7. Theo Maledon – France / Asvel
Height: 6’4″ Weight: 175 lbs
DOB: 06/12/01 – 19 years old
LNB Pro A (20 games) : 6.5 PPG / 1.9 APG / 2.0 RPG / Shooting Splits .390/.294/.902
EuroLeague (22 games): 7.4 PPG / 3.1 APG /1.8 RPG / Shooting Splits .456/.367/.689
Reasons to Believe
- Length
- P&R Maestro
- Touch
Causes for Concern
- Passive on Offense
- Lack of Burst
- Defensive Awareness
Summary:
Theo Maledon is a young and exciting point guard with a 6’9″ wingspan from France who has shown flashes of being a great passing guard. His floater is one of the best in the class and his touch indicates future success as a shooter. Theo will take a few years to fully contribute to an NBA team, but has the chance to be a fantastic P&R ball handler.
6. Grant Riller – USA / College of Charleston
Height: 6’3″ Weight: 190 lbs
Year-DOB: Senior – 02/08/97 – 23 years old
NCAA Stats: 21.9 PPG / 3.9 APG / 5.1 RPG / 1.6 STL / Shooting Splits .499/.362/.827
Reasons to Believe
- Three Level Scorer
- First Step
- Dribble Moves
Causes for Concern
- Level of Competition
- Defensive Motor
- Age
Summary:
A four year player at College of Charleston Riller could provide any NBA team with an immediate offensive impact off the bench. He is one of the few prospects in this class who could be considered a three-level scorer (able to score at the rim, mid-range, and from three) and has a really quick first step to help him translate.
5. Kira Lewis Jr. – USA / Alabama
Height: 6’3″ Weight: 165 lbs
Year-DOB: Sophomore – 04/06/01 – 19 years old
NCAA Stats: 18.5 PPG / 5.2 APG / 4.8 RPG / 1.8 STL / Shooting Splits .459/.366/.802
Reasons to Believe
- Speed
- Live Dribble Passing
- Age
Causes for Concern
- Finishing with contact
- Ability running point
- Lack of length/weight
Summary:
A lightning fast guard, Kira Lewis found a ton of success in new coach Nate Oats optimized fast paced/high octane system. Lewis is a threat as soon as he gets the ball looking to push in transition. Teams will look to use Kira as just that, in the half court he can play both on or off-ball and looks to be a plus defender. While a relatively smaller guard Kira is a pick worth taking.
4. Tyrese Haliburton – USA / Iowa State
Height: 6’5″ Weight: 185 lbs
Year-DOB: Sophomore – 02-29-00 – 20 years old
NCAA Stats: 15.2 PPG / 6.5 APG / 5.9 RPG / 2.5 STL / Shooting Splits .504/.419/.822
Reasons to Believe
- Vision
- Off-Ball Defense
- Shooting %s
Causes for Concern
- Shooting Mechanics
- Half Court Creation
- Weight/Frame
Summary:
With great size, elite athleticism, and decision making, Haliburton may have the highest floor of any point guard in this class. There are questions about his athleticism and shooting mechanics, but he has all the intangibles and could be a really good player in the NBA for a long time.
3. Cole Anthony – USA / North Carolina
Height: 6’3″ Weight: 185 lbs
Year-DOB: Freshman – 05/15/00 – 20 years old
NCAA Stats: 18.5 PPG / 4.0 APG / 5.7 RPG / 1.3 STL / Shooting Splits .380/.348/.750
Reasons to Believe
- Pre-College Sample
- First Step/Athleticism
- Shooting Gravity
Causes for Concern
- Shot Selection
- Change of Direction
- Finishing around rim
Summary:
A son of a former NBA player, Cole Anthony needs to prove that his injury riddled season on a lackluster UNC team was the reason for in his rather inefficient season. Teams will buy his ability to score the ball more on his high school and EYBL footage. Anthony could end up being one of the steals of the draft if he falls like some may believe.
2. Kilian Hayes – France / Ratiopharm Ulm (Bundesliga)
Height: 6’5″ Weight: 215 lbs
DOB: 07/27/01 – 19 years old
19-20 Stats: 11.6 PPG / 5.4 APG / 2.8 RPG / 1.5 STL / Shooting Splits .482/.294/.876
Reasons to Believe
- Handle/Footwork
- Shot Creation/Separation
- Defensive anticipation off-ball
Causes for Concern
- Lack of Ambidexterity
- Decision Making (TO #s)
- Inconsistent Shooting
Summary:
There’s much to love about Killian Hayes as a draft prospect this year. He’s great with the ball and a lead initiator and is a great point of attack defender. He has the tools to become a great lead guard for an NBA franchise in the near future as a few of our scouting writers even have him first on this list.
1. LaMelo Ball – USA / Illawara Hawks
Height: 6’7″ Weight: 180 lbs
DOB: 08/22/01 – 19 years old
NBL Stats: 17.2 PPG / 6.8 APG / 7.9 RPG / 1.5 STL / Shooting Splits .389/.279/.700
Reasons to Believe
- Court Vision
- Handle
- Touch / Range
Causes for Concern
- Low Shooting #s
- Lacks Elite Athleticism
- Poor Discipline on D
Summary:
The youngest of the ball brothers may be the most exciting. After putting up some emphatic numbers in the NBL, Ball is looking to display his offensive creativity and high basketball acumen. He excels at getting defenders in a position to be beat and can read how to beat them in multiple ways. He arguably has the best passing ability and court vision in the class and is just as big of a threat to pass as he is to score making him a pain to game plan against.
